Keith E Whitfield
Biographic Data
| ID | 88193 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Keith E Whitfield |
| GIVEN NAMES | Keith E |
| FAMILY NAME | Whitfield |
| SIGNATURE | WHITFIELD K E |
| AFFILIATIONS | Duke University |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 49 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 130 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 49 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1998 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
Race and Incident Dementia Among Older Black and Older White Men
The objective of this study was to determine if racial differences exist between older Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW) men in incident dementia over 11 years (2011–2022) in the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). The analytic sample included 2395 community-dwelling NHB and NHW men free of dementia at baseline who self-identified as Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White (NHW). Dementia was assessed at each visit using a validated…
Religiosity, Religious Beliefs, and Cognitive Impairment Among Black and White Men With Modest Incomes
Objective The objective of this study was to examine the association between religious practices, beliefs, and cognitive impairment among Black and White men with modest incomes in the 2016 Health and Retirement Study. Methods Data were drawn from Black and White men who reported annual incomes at or below $50,000 ( n = 926). The primary outcome was any cognitive impairment, a dichotomous variable derived from a modified version of the Telephone …
Associations of Major Lifetime and Everyday Discrimination with Cognitive Function among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Measurement and selection bias may partially explain the counterintuitive study findings. We call for longitudinal research to further investigate the discrimination-cognition relationship
Social support moderates association between area deprivation index and changes in physical health among adults in the Baltimore Study of Black Aging (BSBA)
Despite the association of neighborhood quality with poorer adult health, limited research has explored the association between neighborhood disadvantage, e.g. Area Deprivation Index (ADI), and older Black adults' health, prospectively. This observational study examined the association between ADI and changes in longitudinal physical health within older Black adults. The analytic sample ( n = 317) included data from waves 1 & 2 of the Baltimore S…
Age and Sex Differences in the Genetic Architecture of Measures of Subjective Health
The predictive value of SH has been amply demonstrated. The higher genetic contributions to associations between SH and its components in older adults support the increasing conceptualization with age of SH as an intuitive summation of one's vital reserve
Positive Effects of Religion and Social Ties on the Health of Former NFL Athletes
The Interactive Effects of Education and Social Support on Cognition in African Americans
Objectives: This study examines whether the effects of receiving and providing social support on cognition differ by education. Methods: Data from 602 African American adults (48-95 years) enrolled in the Baltimore Study of Black Aging-Patterns of Cognitive Aging were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results: We found no main effects of receiving or providing social support on global cognition. Main effects for receiving or providing so…
Exploring the Association Between Affect and Leisure Activity Engagement in Black Adults
Results demonstrate within-person changes in the types of leisure engagement among Black adults. Potential factors related to these changes may result from interconnections between affect and demographic factors (age and education)
Differential Associations Between the Area Deprivation Index and Measures of Physical Health for Older Black Adults
The findings suggest that national- and state-level place-based characteristics should be considered along with individual-level factors, which can enrich the scientific understanding of how neighborhood characteristics relate to varying health indicators among older Black adults
Financial strain moderates genetic influences on self-rated health
sex, and financial strain moderators indicated significant financial strain moderation of genetic influences on self-rated health. Moderation results did not differ across sex or country. Genetic variance for SRH increased as financial strain increased, matching the predictions of the diathesis-stress and social comparison models for components of variance. Under these models, environmental improvements would be expected to reduce genetically bas…
Navigating Black Aging
Given the known association between perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms, we provide a novel instance of the long-term effects of social inequality. Specifically, biological age acceleration, a marker of physiological dysregulation, is associated with time among Black persons and more strongly associated among those with depressive symptoms
The Effects of Selective Survival on Black Adults’ Cognitive Development
Findings suggest a selective survival effect for inductive reasoning ability among Blacks. With decline evident so early, common cognitive intervention programs targeting adults 65+ may come too late for Blacks, signifying the importance and urgency for early health interventions and public policy designed to promote cognitive reserve
The Price of Playing Through Pain
Over the past decade, media outlets have drawn attention to some of the health consequences of playing in the National Football League (NFL), including how wear-and-tear and injuries accumulated during athletes’ playing years can affect their physical, emotional, and behavioral health after retirement from professional sports. Through a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional telephone survey of former NFL athletes, this study estimated logistic …
Health and criminal justice system involvement among African American siblings
This study provided preliminary evidence that some of the association between a criminal record and poor health is confounded by family factors. Though more research is needed to support these results, the study suggests that criminal involvement may not be associated with the surfeit of health problems observed among African Americans. The criminal justice system, nonetheless, could be used to decrease the health disparity
Greater Disease Burden, Greater Risk? Exploring Cognitive Change and Health Status Among Older Blacks
Objective: The objective of study is to examine the relationships between health status and changes in cognition over time among middle to older aged Blacks. Method: Data come from the Baltimore Study of Black Aging-Patterns of Cognitive Aging. At baseline, 602 Black participants, ranging from ages 48 to 95 years, were enrolled. At follow-up, approximately 3 years later, 450 participants were re-interviewed. Results: After accounting for baseline…
Association between birth weight and educational attainment
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that birth weight is positively associated with education, but it remains unclear whether this association is explained by familial environmental factors, genetic factors or the intrauterine environment. We analysed the association between birth weight and educational years within twin pairs, which controls for genetic factors and the environment shared between co-twins. METHODS: The data were derived from nine twin …
The Association between Subjective Memory Complaints and Sleep within Older African American Adults
Evaluation of sleep may be warranted when older adults, particularly African Americans, communicate concerns regarding their memory. Insufficient sleep may be a useful marker of acute daytime dysfunction and, perhaps, cognitive decline. Given memory problems are the hallmark of dementia, our findings support further evaluation of whether poor sleep can aid in the diagnosis of cognitive impairment
Psychosocial Influences of African Americans Men’s Health
Intrarace Group Variability in Characteristics of Self-Reported Pain and Sleep Difficulty in Older African Americans With Arthritis
Purpose: Few studies have examined the behavioral and clinical indicators of sleep difficulty among older African Americans diagnosed with arthritis. This study aimed to examine the association of sleep, pain, and comorbid indicators among this population. Method: Using a cross-sectional design, 193 older African Americans (70.4 ± 9.11 years of age) completed a series of questions assessing health, pain, and sleep. Results: Findings showed that y…
Perceived Control Predicts Pulse Pressure in African American Men
These findings suggest that greater belief in one's own efficacy is a protective factor for cardiovascular health among African American men. Future research should examine whether enhancing perceived control can have an appreciable impact on the immense CVD burden in this and other at-risk populations
Sleep Behaviors in Older African American Females Reporting Nonmalignant Chronic Pain
This study examined factors that influence sleep quality in older African American women (N = 181) reporting chronic pain. Participants completed a series of questions assessing demographic and behavioral characteristics, health status, pain intensity, and sleep disturbance. Findings indicated that younger participants and those experiencing poorer physical functioning reported more difficulty sleeping due to pain. Similarly, participants who rep…
Racial Disparities in Disability Among Older Adults
These findings within an integrated, low-income urban sample support efforts to ameliorate health disparities by focusing on the social context in which people live
Cognition and Health in African American Men
Results suggest that lung function is important to consider when examining cognitive function in African American men. Understanding the role of health in cognition and implications for quality of life in this population will be critical as life expectancies increase
Education Desegregation and Cognitive Change in African American Older Adults
Overall, these findings suggest a slight advantage of desegregated schooling for cognitive performance, but no advantage of desegregated schooling on the rate of cognitive change over time in this sample
Race and Ethnic Variations in the Education‐Control‐Distress Model
Objective Research shows that education favors mental health, in part, because it helps to develop a greater sense of control. To this point, however, it is unclear whether this process varies according to race and ethnicity. Methods Building on previous research, we use data collected from a large probability sample of Texas adults to test the extent to which the education‐control‐distress (E‐C‐D) model varies across three race and ethnic groups…
Everyday discrimination and mood and substance use disorders
Life-course financial strain and health in African-Americans
Education Desegregation and Cognitive Change in African American Older Adults
Overall, these findings suggest a slight advantage of desegregated schooling for cognitive performance, but no advantage of desegregated schooling on the rate of cognitive change over time in this sample
The Effect of Race and Health-Related Factors on Naming and Memory
The racial differences found in test performance may reflect differences in cultural appropriateness of the material rather than differences in ability
Navigating Black Aging
Given the known association between perceived racial discrimination and depressive symptoms, we provide a novel instance of the long-term effects of social inequality. Specifically, biological age acceleration, a marker of physiological dysregulation, is associated with time among Black persons and more strongly associated among those with depressive symptoms
The Impact of Desegregation on Cognition among Older African Americans
One of the single most influential factors on current and future cognitive functioning is educational attainment. We examined the influence of educational desegregation on cognitive performance using Horn's Gf-Gc theory among older African Americans. The data on 197 African Americans included school attendance (desegregated [DS] or segregated [SS]) and the number of years they attended desegregated schools. Using measures of fluid (inductive reas…
The Effects of Selective Survival on Black Adults’ Cognitive Development
Findings suggest a selective survival effect for inductive reasoning ability among Blacks. With decline evident so early, common cognitive intervention programs targeting adults 65+ may come too late for Blacks, signifying the importance and urgency for early health interventions and public policy designed to promote cognitive reserve
Religious Coping and Pain Associated With Sickle Cell Disease
Racial Disparities in Disability Among Older Adults
These findings within an integrated, low-income urban sample support efforts to ameliorate health disparities by focusing on the social context in which people live
Cognition and Health in African American Men
Results suggest that lung function is important to consider when examining cognitive function in African American men. Understanding the role of health in cognition and implications for quality of life in this population will be critical as life expectancies increase
Race and Ethnic Variations in the Education‐Control‐Distress Model
Objective Research shows that education favors mental health, in part, because it helps to develop a greater sense of control. To this point, however, it is unclear whether this process varies according to race and ethnicity. Methods Building on previous research, we use data collected from a large probability sample of Texas adults to test the extent to which the education‐control‐distress (E‐C‐D) model varies across three race and ethnic groups…
Race-Related Disparities in 5-Year Cognitive Level and Change in Untrained Active Participants
Race-related results in the current study are consistent with previous research suggesting that social advantage factors such as education have a stronger influence on the level of performance than the rate of change. The small remaining effects of being African American on performance levels likely reflect uncontrolled variation in factors like literacy and financial advantage
Personality as a source of individual differences in cognition among older African Americans
Cardiovascular Health and Education as Sources of Individual Variability in Cognitive Aging Among African Americans
These findings suggest that although self-reported cardiovascular health contributes to variability in late life cognition in African Americans, education is a more universal predictor that should be further examined
The Impact of Financial Participation and Employee Involvement on Financial Performance
In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the impact of various forms of financial participation on financial performance. However, financial participation is only one of a number of different schemes attempting to elicit better performance and is itself heterogeneous. Moreover, financial participation schemes are typically introduced in conjunction with employee involvement schemes and their combined effect can be very different …
Differential Associations Between the Area Deprivation Index and Measures of Physical Health for Older Black Adults
The findings suggest that national- and state-level place-based characteristics should be considered along with individual-level factors, which can enrich the scientific understanding of how neighborhood characteristics relate to varying health indicators among older Black adults
Association between birth weight and educational attainment
BACKGROUND: There is evidence that birth weight is positively associated with education, but it remains unclear whether this association is explained by familial environmental factors, genetic factors or the intrauterine environment. We analysed the association between birth weight and educational years within twin pairs, which controls for genetic factors and the environment shared between co-twins. METHODS: The data were derived from nine twin …
Psychosocial Influences of African Americans Men’s Health
Factor Structure of Cognitive Ability Measures in Older African Americans
An Examination of Dedifferentiation in Cognition Among African–American Older Adults
Race, Genetics and Health
The emergence of putative race-specific or ethnic-specific medicines appears to be overturning a new consensus reached by physical anthropologists that race is a biological fiction. This article examines whether there is substance to the notion that conventional norms of race classification have utility in medical diagnosis and prescription, whether there is legitimacy to notions of race-specific diseases, and whether the genomics revolution prom…
The Impact of Financial Participation and Employee Involvement on Financial Performance
In recent years, considerable attention has been given to the impact of various forms of financial participation on financial performance. However, financial participation is only one of a number of different schemes attempting to elicit better performance and is itself heterogeneous. Moreover, financial participation schemes are typically introduced in conjunction with employee involvement schemes and their combined effect can be very different …
The Effect of Race and Health-Related Factors on Naming and Memory
The racial differences found in test performance may reflect differences in cultural appropriateness of the material rather than differences in ability
Sources of Individual Differences in Indices of Health Disparities among Older African-Americans
Optimizing DNA yield from buccal swabs in the elderly
Participation in genetic studies is often limited by a volunteer's reluctance to donate blood samples. We wished to determine if alternate, less painful, methods to venipuncture could be used to collect cells to provide DNA for genotyping, and whether the cells could be grown in culture for extraction of DNA. Volunteers in the study were comprised of two groups. Nine individuals from a university campus were recruited to provide samples for initi…
The Impact of Desegregation on Cognition among Older African Americans
One of the single most influential factors on current and future cognitive functioning is educational attainment. We examined the influence of educational desegregation on cognitive performance using Horn's Gf-Gc theory among older African Americans. The data on 197 African Americans included school attendance (desegregated [DS] or segregated [SS]) and the number of years they attended desegregated schools. Using measures of fluid (inductive reas…
Stress, coping, and health outcomes among African-Americans
The John Henryism (JH) hypothesis argues that prolonged high-effort coping with chronic psychosocial stressors may be associated with elevated risk for negative health outcomes among those without sufficient socioeconomic resources. Early JH studies found a significant association between high JH, low socioeconomic status, and hypertension among African-Americans. More recently, these findings have been extended to a wide array of health status o…
Genes, environment, and race
Understanding the origins of racial health disparities is currently a central focus of health-oriented funding agencies and the health policy community. In particular, the role of genetics in the origin of racial health disparities is receiving growing attention and has been susceptible to considerable misinterpretation. In this article, the authors provide a basic discussion about the concept of genes and race, an introduction to quantitative ge…
Examining the Association Between Lung Functioning and Cognitive Performance in African American Adults
Lung functioning was not uniquely associated with cognitive performance in the younger adults, though it emerged as a significant predictor of individual differences in performance on the Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status even after controlling for age, education, and smoking history. Biobehavioral assessments such as the one presented here appear to provide important new insights into the sources of individual differences in cognition obse…
Coping as Predictor of Psychiatric Functioning and Pain in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Beyond The Care of Sepsis, Pain, and Disfigurement
Religious Coping and Pain Associated With Sickle Cell Disease
An Examination of Dedifferentiation in Cognition Among African–American Older Adults
Race, Genetics and Health
The emergence of putative race-specific or ethnic-specific medicines appears to be overturning a new consensus reached by physical anthropologists that race is a biological fiction. This article examines whether there is substance to the notion that conventional norms of race classification have utility in medical diagnosis and prescription, whether there is legitimacy to notions of race-specific diseases, and whether the genomics revolution prom…
The epidemiology of major depression and ethnicity in the United States
Body Image in a Sample of Adult African American Males and Females with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)
Cardiovascular Health and Education as Sources of Individual Variability in Cognitive Aging Among African Americans
These findings suggest that although self-reported cardiovascular health contributes to variability in late life cognition in African Americans, education is a more universal predictor that should be further examined
Factor Structure of Cognitive Ability Measures in Older African Americans
Marketing Public Health Through Older Adult Volunteering
Objectives. We present a social marketing conceptual framework for Experience Corps Baltimore City (EC) in which the desired health outcome is not the promoted product or behavior. We also demonstrate the feasibility of a social marketing–based recruitment campaign for the first year of the Baltimore Experience Corps Trial (BECT), a randomized, controlled trial of the health benefits of EC participation for older adults. Methods. We recruited old…
Life-course financial strain and health in African-Americans
Biobehavioral Aspects of Health and Aging Among People of Mexican Origin
There is a growing interest in developing a deeper level of understanding of the complex phenomena that make up the aging process. Efforts to pursue questions using a multivariate and ecologically valid approaches that include biological and behavioral factors have led to significant advances in our knowledge. This special issue presents a collection of papers that represent this "biobehavioral" perspective. Little is known concerning the biobeha…
Sociocultural Aspects of Health Psychology
The purpose of this chapter is to provide updated information about sociodemographic information on research on health psychology, with a focus on ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status. The economic and cultural diversity in the U.S. population continues to grow and present a broad array of factors that produce a variety of outcomes, conditions, and health consequences. The information provided here still represents just a small fraction of…
Personality as a source of individual differences in cognition among older African Americans
Race-Related Disparities in 5-Year Cognitive Level and Change in Untrained Active Participants
Race-related results in the current study are consistent with previous research suggesting that social advantage factors such as education have a stronger influence on the level of performance than the rate of change. The small remaining effects of being African American on performance levels likely reflect uncontrolled variation in factors like literacy and financial advantage
Sleep Behaviors in Older African American Females Reporting Nonmalignant Chronic Pain
This study examined factors that influence sleep quality in older African American women (N = 181) reporting chronic pain. Participants completed a series of questions assessing demographic and behavioral characteristics, health status, pain intensity, and sleep disturbance. Findings indicated that younger participants and those experiencing poorer physical functioning reported more difficulty sleeping due to pain. Similarly, participants who rep…
Racial Disparities in Disability Among Older Adults
These findings within an integrated, low-income urban sample support efforts to ameliorate health disparities by focusing on the social context in which people live
Psychology (43 works) · Medicine (39 works) · Gerontology (28 works) · Psychiatry (23 works) · Health disparities and outcomes (22 works) · Cognition (18 works) · Demography (18 works) · Clinical Psychology (15 works) · Demography (14 works) · Clinical Psychology (13 works)